Teen dies in Hillcrest Dr. crash

Young life cut short



PROMISING FUTURE—Mario Casanova, shown here in a photo from his youth, was killed in a car crash Sept. 1 on W. Hillcrest Drive. Courtesy of Safe Passage

PROMISING FUTURE—Mario Casanova, shown here in a photo from his youth, was killed in a car crash Sept. 1 on W. Hillcrest Drive. Courtesy of Safe Passage

The Conejo Valley community is rallying around four Thousand Oaks teens who were seriously injured in a Sept. 1 car crash that left another teenager dead.

Safe Passage, which works with at-risk children and those from low-income communities, has set up an accident relief fund via GoFundMe to help cover medical bills for the four—who range in age from 14 to 19—and funeral expenses for 19-year-old Mario Casanova.

“I’m personally touched, having watched these kids grow, being able to see them at events and in the community, and it hurts inside,” said Tim Hagel, former Thousand Oaks police chief and Safe Passage co-founder. “These families struggle day to day just to be able to thrive in their socio-economical and micro community conditions.”

Hagel said he and the other leaders of Safe Passage, which is a joint program with the city and Conejo Recreation and Park District, are using lessons learned from the Borderline and Woolsey tragedies in regard to supporting the families of those involved in the wreck.

“It’s about providing rapid and immediate relief,” he said. “Everybody can empathize with what five mothers are feeling right now . . . and we are asking people to donate even just five dollars, one for each kid. Five dollars can make a difference.”

The single-vehicle crash took place just after 10 p.m. Sept. 1 on W. Hillcrest Drive between Lynn and Ventu Park roads.

Police said a 16-year-old driver lost control of a Ford Mustang while heading west, veered off the road and crashed into a tree in the center median, causing the sports car to flip over on its roof.

Casanova was pronounced dead a short while later at the hospital, police said.

A 2021 graduate of Thousand Oaks High School, Casanova was a member of the Latino Connection Club at the school.

Club advisor Sandra Martínez-Galván described him as a friendly, hardworking student.

“He was the nicest kid. He always tried his best and was always smiling, always trying to make people laugh, but not in a class clown way,” she said fighting tears that came anyway.

The TOHS Spanish teacher said Casanova and his group of about 15 friends were members of the club by default because they would often hang out in her classroom during lunch period.

“They would tease each other a lot, joking around and loved to talk about video games,” she said.

Casanova went through two years of a class designed for Spanish speakers as preparation for an Advanced Placement exam. Martínez-Galván said he and his friends became more like family, spending additional time together going on field trips to visit colleges, museums and other places.

“He was always engaged and always very, very respectful,” she said of her student. “Even when other students would call out answers, he always raised his hand to participate.”

She said Casanova loved music and working out, and was appreciative of his heritage.

“His family is from (the Mexican state of) Yucatán, and he was proud of his parents’ culture,” she said.

While the cause of the crash is under investigation, a Ventura County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said speed was a factor, in which the car left the curved roadway and smashed into a tree near Ventu Park Road.

“Speed was definitely a factor,” sheriff’s Capt. Eric Buschow said. “The car eventually came to rest on the roof.”

The posted speed limit on W. Hillcrest is 45 mph. A sign on Hillcrest cautions that the road narrows near that point.

One of the boys has been sent home, though he still has injuries, Hagel said. Another remains at Los Robles Regional Medical Center. The other two have been transferred to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, he said.

The Safe Passage fundraiser can be accessed via the organization’s site at safepassageyouth.org.

All money raised will be given to the families of the crash victims, Hagel said.